For this project, I chose to review the Niantic AR (AR+) feature in Pokémon Go, a popular location-based role-playing-game (RPG) available on all mobile platforms. (Link to article on Niantic’s website regarding the AR feature).
This feature is disabled by default, so Niantic AR (AR+) needs to be enabled by tapping on the pokéball icon on the center-bottom of the screen, then tapping the settings icon on the top right, tapping on the AR section of the settings menu, and enabling the feature from there (requires the game to restart).
After restarting the game, AR+ is ready to use. First, select a Pokémon of your choice from the inventory page and tap on the camera icon below the star button on the top-right corner of the screen.
After selecting a valid position, your Pokémon will appear on your screen on the area you tapped. You are able to interact with your Pokémon by either feeding it treats, petting it, taking pictures, and occasionally receiving gifts.
In my opinion, the UI for the feature is easy to figure out, but it some opinions I have on it include:
- The UI of the AR Camera and AR Capture is fine – the buttons are located on locations of the screen that are out of the way
- The buttons on the top could be slightly larger and have backgrounds like the ones on the bottom for increased visibility
- Camera button needs different colors
I would say that the AR camera feature is lackluster at the moment. Some issues I have for it regarding functionality include:
- The lighting for the surroundings not being applied to the Pokémon model, which makes it look out of place when taking photos.
- Not being able to resize, reposition, or pose Pokémon for photos.
- Having to re-place your Pokémon after moving too far from it.
- Placement scanning is overly restrictive – Pokémon can’t be placed on surfaces other than solid ground (i.e water, slopes, angular buildings, in mid-air, etc).
Overall, I think that the AR camera is rather niche and gimmicky, but a nice feature for occasionally taking pictures. The feature was only introduced around a year ago, and it’s experimental, so it’s understandable that it needs some major improvements. I’d like to believe that the feature has the potential to be the interactive experience that Pokémon players have been wanting for years if Niantic is willing to invest the time and resources to ensuring that AR integration is as useful and fun to use as the company hyped it up to be.